Chapter 29
EM
By Tuesday, time stopped behaving like a normal thing.
It stretched and compressed in strange ways, hours blurring together until I couldn’t tell if I’d eaten ten minutes ago or ten hours ago.
The shop smelled like fabric dust and coffee and the faint citrus cleaner Audrey insisted on using because productive spaces deserve to smell hopeful.
My hands were permanently sore, my shoulders lived in a constant burn, and I had never been more awake in my life.
It was chaos. Beautiful, loud, purposeful chaos.
Theo had been right—space changed everything.
What felt impossible in Noah’s apartment became manageable the second we spread out.
Cutting tables along one wall. Sewing stations by the windows.
Packing near the back door. Audrey had found three freelance sewers by Wednesday afternoon, all women with sharp eyes and faster hands than mine, and when they showed up with their own machines and coffee tumblers, I almost cried.
Instead, I shook their hands and got to work.
We built a rhythm fast. I handled final construction and detailing—names, numbers, stitching that needed intention instead of speed.
The freelancers assembled base jackets and sleeves.
Daniel ran fulfillment like a command center, spreadsheets updating in real time, labels printing nonstop.
He was young and still had college, but the idea of hiring Daniel to join this kept flittering through my mind.
He was my right hand. But I had to get through this and then we’d talk.
Audrey floated where she was needed, calming customers, answering emails, reminding me to sit down before my legs gave out.
Sassy claimed a permanent spot at my feet like she was guarding the operation.
By Thursday night, we were averaging seventy to eighty jackets a day as a team.
The work wasn’t magic. It was people. It was systems. It was letting go of the idea that doing it all myself made me more worthy of success. I felt stripped bare and powerful at the same time, like I was finally standing inside the life I’d imagined without apologizing for wanting it.
By Friday afternoon, we were close. Not finished—but close enough that the finish line felt real instead of theoretical.
Noah stopped by twice that day.
The first time, he dropped off food and didn’t say a word about how exhausted I looked. He kissed the side of my head, pressed water into my hand, and picked up trash. The second time, he stayed longer, leaning against the doorframe and watching me work with a quiet smile on his face.
The process made my chest ache. Especially when I kept apologizing for not helping with Miles more that week—which he scoffed about, and it was the first time I’d ever seen him annoyed at me.
Friday night came faster than I expected. The shop quieted as the freelancers packed up, promising to be back early Saturday. Daniel took Miles home with him after they hung out around the store after school, and I didn’t argue. I barely had the energy to think.
Noah locked the shop behind the last person out and leaned back against the door, exhaling hard.
“You did it,” he said quietly.
I shook my head. “We all did it. I’m not done yet.”
“You’re allowed to acknowledge wins,” he replied. “Even partial ones.”
I smiled despite myself and wiped my hands on my leggings, the fabric already streaked with lint and thread that no amount of shaking ever seemed to remove anymore.
My body felt wrung out in the best and worst ways—fingers sore, shoulders tight, a dull ache blooming at the base of my spine—but underneath it all was something steadier than exhaustion.
Satisfaction. Purpose. The kind that settled into your bones and made the ache feel earned.
Noah watched me for a beat longer than necessary, his gaze soft but conflicted, like he was trying to memorize me and argue with himself at the same time.
He looked tired in a way that had nothing to do with football, dark circles faint under his eyes, shoulders held a little too tight.
When he finally spoke, his voice was quiet, almost careful.
“I fly out again tomorrow morning,” he said.
I nodded, already knowing how much I hated when he was gone. “I know,” I replied, keeping my voice even, even though my chest pinched a little. “You asked if Miles and I could come.”
“And you can’t,” he said, frustration threading his tone—not aimed at me, not really, but turned inward where it always did. His jaw tightened, the muscle jumping once. “And I hate that. I want you guys with me all the time.”
I stepped closer without thinking, closing the small space between us until my forehead rested against his chest. His heart was still beating a little fast beneath my cheek. “I wish we could come too, but I can’t miss this moment, Noah. This is it for me.”
His arms wrapped around me automatically, firm and sure, like he always used to in college. He pressed his mouth into my hair and breathed me in. “I know, but I can still hate leaving you,” he murmured. “It feels wrong to go when you’re in the middle of this. When you’re doing something this big.”
I pulled back enough to look at him, my hands sliding to his ribs, feeling the tension there. “You’re not leaving me,” I said. “You’re going to work. I’m staying to work. We can both chase dreams together.”
“I know.” He cupped my face and ran a thumb over my lip, his eyes sad and filled with anguish. “I’ve gotten real used to seeing you, Em. Every day.”
My breath caught in my throat at the raw emotion pouring out of his voice. And a million little what-ifs danced in my mind. What if…he felt the same way about me as I him? What if I wanted to see him every day too? What if…I was too much for him when he needed stability with Miles?
I state none of those things. Instead, I smiled, kissed his palm and then took it and threaded our fingers. “Well, how should we spend our last night together then before you leave?”
Noah Abbott, a huge offensive lineman, with a carved face and the biggest heart in the world, blushed.
“Oh, what is going on in that dirty mind of yours?” I teased, my skin heating at the mere thought of him touching me.
We’d had no alone time the entire week—not with the store and the orders we had to make.
The lack of sleep and utter chaos was like pulling all-nighters in college studying for a test where that was all that mattered.
But the way he stared at me, his gaze moving to my lips, caused a warm tingling sensation down to my core.
“Make sure the store is locked up. Then we can head back.”
I frowned, my brows coming together at his curt reply. “Whoa, what is with the tone?”
“No tone. Come on. Let’s go home.” He released my hand and made sure the door was locked, then jutted his chin toward the direction of his apartment. “Okay, we’re good. All secured.”
“Noah, what’s…did I do something?”
The fuzzy sensation shifted to worry fast. I was tired, sore, my muscles hurt and my fingers ached, and sure, I needed to sleep for a freaking month straight, but his sudden change had me stressing.
“No, of course you didn’t.” He stood rigid on the sidewalk, stared at me, then broke into a smile and scrubbed a hand over his face. “God, I’m the worst.”
He laughed and met my eyes, which only confused me more.
“What?”
“I’m sorry. I have a surprise for you, and I wanted to act normal to not give it away, and in my attempt… I might’ve messed up.”
Wait. What.
“You planned a surprise for me?” My voice squeaked out, timid, unsure.
“Yes.” He grinned again and took my hand, his thumb tracing the inside of my wrist. “I’m sorry I’m a dumbass. I tried hiding it, but clearly I fucked that up. Come on, Em, let me show you.”
He took my hand and led me back to his place, talking about his favorite parts of the week without expecting a response.
I loved that about him. Always had. He was the easiest person to chat with because he was so unassuming.
His chattiness was also a tell he could be nervous about what the surprise was.
I wasn’t sure how he had time to plan anything with the week we had, and the same warm gooey feeling filled my chest that felt a lot like love.
Not the “I love my best friend” type feeling.
Or the one with my family. The kind that filled my entire soul and body and caused my heart to race and settle at the same time because he was my person.
“Noah,” I said once we got to door of his building.
“Hey, it doesn’t matter what the surprise is, okay?
I want you to know that I…” He gazed at me, his beautiful eyes so focused and intense on me.
He stared at me like I mattered every single time, and my voice shook.
“I l-love everything y-you’ve done for me.
You are amazing. The most incredible person I know. And I just can’t thank you enough.”
“No need to thank me, Em.” He chuckled and kissed my forehead. “I’d do everything a thousand times over and will continue to. Now, come on.”
He led me to our unit, pausing right outside his door. “Mm, let me get Miles to bed first, okay?”
“Sure, of course.”
“God, you’re so fucking pretty.” He grinned, ran a finger down my hair and sighed. “Okay, uncle duty first. Focus, Abbott.”
His self-talk made me chuckle, but it was the right shift in mood as we went inside to check in with Daniel and Miles. The two had become best buddies, and I loved both of them with my whole chest.